SWITZERLAND: Moevenpick and Nestlé deny takeover reports

Swiss ice cream company Moevenpick and compatriot food giant Nestlé said today [Monday] that they are in talks regarding an ice cream licensing pact in Germany and dismissed media reports that Nestlé was to take over Moevenpick’s ice cream operations. Moevenpick said the two companies have been in talks for more than a year over the licensing pact and were confident of finding a solution. The two companies commenced talks following Nestlé’s takeover of German ice cream maker Schoeller, which has produced and distributed Moevenpick ice cream in Germany for more than ten years. Moevenpick has tried to change the licensing agreement with Schoeller due to disagreements over the product’s branding in Germany.

January 20, 2003

Moevenpick said the two companies have been in talks for more than a year over the licensing pact and were confident of finding a solution. The two companies commenced talks following Nestlé’s takeover of German ice cream maker Schoeller, which has produced and distributed Moevenpick ice cream in Germany for more than ten years. Moevenpick has tried to change the licensing agreement with Schoeller due to disagreements over the product’s branding in Germany.

Moevenpick spokeswoman Lilly Frei said that media reports that the company would sell its CHFr50m (US$36.5m) ice cream business to Nestlé were “pure speculation”, reported Dow Jones News.